Michael Shannon Is at His Best As This Terrifying Real-Life Mobster Hitman

Michael Shannon has always made the most of his God-given physical attributes to accentuate the emotion of his greatest characters. Standing 6 feet 3 inches, he is one of the tallest, most physically imposing actors in Hollywood. His high cheekbones and furrowed brow bring another element of intensity and brooding that makes playing introspective villains seem almost effortless. He has played his fair share of smooth criminals, having so deftly played notable bad guys in great films, like Strickland in The Shape of Water, General Zod in Man of Steel, White Death in Bullet Train, and also as G-man turned bootlegger Nelson Van Alden in the critically acclaimed HBO original drama Boardwalk Empire. But arguably his most wheels-off unexpected turn came in a 2012 Ariel Vroman-directed film when he played a real-life mafia hitman in The Iceman, based on the life of Richard Kuklinski. It's an underrated film not only for the chilling performance of Shannon in the titular role, but also because of terrific supporting turns from Winona Ryder, Ray Liotta, and Chris Evans.